Excusing crime

We truly live in a victim society. A young man, addicted to drugs, living a life of crime, and with a history of violence, uses his car as a weapon to attack and seriously injure a young police officer (who is also a husband and father).

The police officer is quickly forgotten, but The Chronicle Herald sees fit to do a front-page article on Aug. 21 about the criminal, talking about how wonderful a person he was, and how his criminality was due to mental health and addiction issues.

I work with many people with mental health and addiction issues and know many friends and family with these problems. They never resorted to crime. They never rammed a police officer with a car. These behaviours are not “caused by” mental health and addictions.

Blaming criminality on mental health and addictions is a way of excusing evil, criminal behaviour. Others with mental health issues and addictions get painted with the same brush. This can make the general public unnecessarily fearful of such patients.

It absolves criminals of responsibility for their crimes. It gives them, and society at large, the impression that they are powerless and helpless. It robs them of personal responsibility and the agency and ability to do better.

I choose to feel sorry for the officer who was injured, as well as his family and friends. I will not waste my sympathy on someone who made a succession of increasingly toxic and antisocial choices that eventually culminated in a predictable tragedy.

A suggestion for the Herald: why not do a story featuring the victims of his previous crimes (he was a repeat offender), or a story about the officer and how he and his family are coping with his serious injury and the impact it has had on them? That would be much more pro-social. Glorifying a criminal by whitewashing his history and painting a halo over him actually encourages others to follow his path.

Nurses underused

Re: Gail Lethbridge’s Aug. 17 column, “No doctors? A nurse will do just fine.” I am in total agreement. We are underutilizing our nurses. We need to respect and use their skills — and those of all our health professionals — not just doctors’. If pharmacists can now give flu shots and advice on minor ailments, why can’t nurses be placed in ERs to triage patients and treat minor ailments?

Also, why aren’t we using more nurse practitioners? Why don’t we have them in every doctor’s office? If minor ailments are caught soon enough, then larger problems may be avoided. Think of this on a larger scale: specialists with long waiting lists and people waiting for years.

Recently, I talked to a physiotherapist who moved here from Thunder Bay. He said he’d worked in a rheumatology clinic there that employed a range of other health professionals as well as the rheumatologist. By triaging patients, they cut down the waiting list from 300 to 125. We can do this. It just takes will.

Cheryl Greenberg, Middle Sackville

Buying Canadians

It seems that U.S. President Donald Trump would like to buy Greenland, which is apparently not for sale. However, there can be little doubt that Justin Trudeau wants to buy Canadians. Since the SNC-Lavalin and Vice-Admiral Norman scandals, the Liberals have been making daily spending announcements which, since July 1, I understand total more than 360, costing taxpayers more than $22 billion. And the election writ hasn’t even yet been dropped. How much more will there be?

In 2015, Mr. Trudeau indicated he’d run short-term deficits of $10 billion a year for three years, then a surplus of $1 billion in 2019. Obviously, the fiscal reality is not as advertised in 2015. Note: he inherited a balanced budget from the often-maligned Harper government.

In fact, Mr. Trudeau has added some $80-plus billion to our national debt. Now these daily announcements can be added to that. If Trudeau succeeds in buying his way to a second term, he will add $130 billion to our national debt.

Of course, as we can observe from his first term, Mr. Trudeau can’t necessarily be counted upon to fulfil his promises. But suppose he’s re-elected. Where will this additional $22 billion come from? Simple answer: if you’re a taxpayer, take a look in the mirror. Trudeau’s deficits are tomorrow’s taxes. Then decide if you are one of those who are for sale.

Peter L. McCreath, Hubbards, former federal Tory cabinet minister

Waterless park

It recently came to my attention that the Wentworth Provincial Day park does not supply potable water for park visitors. Has the Nova Scotia government become so cheap and penny-pinching that it cannot afford water tests for parks?

This park has been in use for many, many years and has always supplied potable water, which involves getting the pump running in the spring, testing water, treating it if necessary and then having it available at various taps throughout the park.

Now there are signs at all taps saying “Do Not Drink The Water.” People who stop at a provincial park should be able to get a drink of water and refresh themselves, fill travel bottles, and so on. The Wentworth Park is a popular spot for visitors and locals alike — the Department of Lands & Forestry should be ashamed that they do not supply good water for park patrons.

Dianne Powell, Wentworth Station

Spewing fumes

Halifax council is looking at ways to stop or cut back on new drive-thru restaurants due to excessively long lineups that spew out noxious car exhaust.

If council is really looking at ways to reduce pollution, then look no further than our garbage and recycling pickup program and its mind-boggling misuse. The big collection trucks — I call them green monsters — are obligated by their contract to stop at any household that puts out any item by the curb for pickup, no matter how insignificant. Now these green monsters weigh about 20 tons and burn a lot of fuel making hundreds of stops every day. They are by no means a fuel-efficient smart car for two.

I’ve seen a truck stop for a single, small flattened cardboard box no thicker than a jelly sandwich. I’ve seen the monster stop for a blue bag with a few tin cans in it — 99 per cent empty — or for a black garbage bag that would fit in my back pocket. What a way to add pollutants to our city atmosphere.

We need new rules on pickup requirements — perhaps 80 per cent full or no pickup would be a good start. The city would reduce pollutants and vastly reduce the amount of almost-empty plastic bags that go into the waste system every day. If no one on city council has noticed this problem, then they can’t see the forest for the trees.

Alex Leonard, Beaver Bank

Bailout fallout

The Liberals have quietly written off a $2.6-billion auto-sector loan that saved Chrysler during the 2009 global economic meltdown. How can this same government charge $15 for a day pass (per couple) for citizens wanting access to P.E.I. park beaches? It’s mind-boggling that misuse of public funds is then taken out on the backs of ordinary citizens.